Kirk: Obama's Libya effort a 'success'

In March, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) was urging President Barack Obama to better define the U.S. military’s role in Libya and seek Congress’s approval to use force in the north African nation.

But after a day touring the streets of Tripoli and meeting rebel leaders who overthrew the regime of Col. Moammar Qadhafi, Kirk praised Obama’s handling of the Libyan conflict as a undeniable “success.”

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“This is a victory for the United States military, for our British and French allies, for NATO, for the president of the United States, but most importantly for the Libyan people. …” Kirk said in a conference call with reporters from the Libyan capital. “Unquestioned kudos goes to the president and his team, but the challenges are not over yet.”

Later, he added: “This was a success by President Obama and his team. Any military conflict has ups or downs or things you might have done differently … but we have all the makings of a very strong U.S. ally in Libya.”

Kirk traveled to Tripoli with three fellow Republican senators – John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida – to meet with members of the National Transitional Council, comprised largely of the opposition movement that removed Qadhafi from power.

The congressional delegation toured a hospital and the U.S. embassy, and spoke with civilians in Martyr’s Square, the site of protests and fighting earlier this year.

While driving through the streets of the city, Kirk described seeing “spontaneous graffiti” that was overwhelmingly anti-Qadhafi. Billboards which had previously displayed the Libyan leader’s image had been ripped down.

“The age of Qadhafi has definitely ended,” Kirk said, though the ousted leader still remains at large.

Kirk, a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, alluded to “stresses and strains” within the rebel forces, he predicted that fighting will wrap up in Libya by the end of October, with the final battles in former Qadhafi strongholds of Sirte and Bani Walid. He also anticipated that the new government would not need any foreign aid as the international community begins to release some of the $100 billion in Qadhafi’s assets that had been seized.